London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London

Holborn 1902

Report for the year 1902 of the Medical Officer of Health

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22
155 reside in other parishes, and notices were posted to the Vaccination Officer of the
district in which they resided.
4 have died.
8 have gone away.
2 have been postponed by Medical Certificate.
1 is insusceptible.
In the Holborn Sub-Division of the Holborn Union much vaccination and re-vaccination
was also carried out. House-to-Housa visitation, in proximity to the cases of Small-pox notified,
was made by the Vaccination Officer. Prom August, 1901, to the end of June, 1902, the numbers
of vaccinations by the Public Vaccinator, Dr. Gabe, was as follows :—
Primary Vaccinations 2,340
Re-Vaccinations 5,610
Total 7,956
In addition to these, many large firms have had their employees vaccinated at private
expense, and many of the residents have been vaccinated or re-vaccinated by their own doctors
during the present outbreak, so that a large proportion of the population is fully protected
against Small-pox, and thus prevents spread of the disease.
The Vaccination Officer of this Division of the Borough also informs me that, as a result of
the examination of the arms of children at the Board and Voluntary Schools, about one-third
refused examination; about one-third were vaccinated; about one-third were not vaccinated. He
found that most of the children who were not examined had been vaccinated, the parents objecting
to the examination on the ground of a false idea of re-vaccination being made compulsory. As a
result of this examination fully 1,000 children were primarily vaccinated and more than 1,000
were re-vaccinated.

Table: Conscientious objectors. From the 12th August, 1898, when the Conscientious Objectors Clause of the Vaccination Act, 1898, came into operation, until the end of the year 1902, there have been only 46 Certificates of Conscientious Objections of the parents of children born and resident in the Borough, viz.:—

Conscientious objectors. From the 12th August, 1898, when the Conscientious Objectors Clause of the Vaccination Act, 1898, came into operation, until the end of the year 1902, there have been only 46 Certificates of Conscientious Objections of the parents of children born and resident in the Borough, viz.:—

Year.St. Giles and Bloomsbury.Holborn.Total.
18988412
18996410
1900459
19013710
1902235
1898—1902232346

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re-vaccination of the councils employees.
At the beginning of the outbreak I was again re-vaccinated, and advised the staff of the
Public Health Department to be re-vaccinated, pointing out that cases of small-pox had occurred
amongst the Sanitary Inspectors and Disinfecting Staff of other Boroughs. All the Sanitary
Inspectors were re-vaccinated (except the one who had been successfully re-vaccinated 18 months
previously) also the two Clerks of this department, and all have escaped small pox.